Mountain areas make up as much as 36 per cent of Europe’s ground area. A book called ‘Europe’s Ecological Backbone’ is published about this subject. This volume, to which substantial contributions were made by Alterra, Wageningen UR researchers Marta Perez, Laure Roupioz and Gerard Hazeu, offers a complete overview of all relevant aspects of mountain areas.
The significance of mountains goes beyond the local populations in these regions. Those in lower-lying areas benefit from mountain zones as well. Think of water supply and the regulation of water levels, clean air, and recreation and tourism. These are part of the reason why a large number of policy measures, from a variety of sectors, are also important for mountains. In the EU, these especially concern agriculture and rural development, forestry, regional policy, environmental protection and biodiversity.
The book covers a range of topics: mountain populations, the economy of mountain areas, ecosystem services, climate change, water supply (‘the water towers of Europe’), land use, biodiversity, protected areas, etcetera. The final chapter presents an integrated approach for better understanding the importance of mountain areas
More information and availability
Click here for ‘Europe’s Ecological Backbone: Recognising the True Value of Our Mountains’. It appears as EEA Report 6/2010, published by the European Environment Agency.